In 2025, fire departments serving Genoa responded to 119 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $600K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 74% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
374 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65 | — | |
| 2022 | 64 | -1.5% | |
| 2023 | 57 | -10.9% | |
| 2024 | 69 | +21.1% | |
| 2025 | 119 | +72.5% |
For the 56 building fires Genoa departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 78 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 21.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 17.9% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Genoa mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 64 | 82.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 5 | 6.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 8 | Candle | 1 | 1.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Genoa departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 94% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $600,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $386,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $270,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $270,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 5 | $270,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 6 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $45,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Genoa sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,131 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 11.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.1 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Genoa. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.